Monday, May 01, 2006

Two Locals Go To San Diego For Pacific Rim Seminar

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 01 May) The University of California – San Diego (UCSD) announced the admission of only two Filipinos to represent the Philippines in the prestigious 2006 Pacific Rim Summer Seminar in United States Studies on July 3–28.

Rafael Derick G. Evangelista III and Alvin G. Hung, CPA, were selected from among the hundreds of qualified individuals from the Philippines and other countries in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Both Evangelista and Hung are Zamboangueños and graduates of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University. They also serve as top advisers to Zamboanga City Vice Mayor Maria Isabel G. Climaco.

The Pacific Rim Seminar is a four- week program jointly organized by the UCSD’s Center for U.S.– Mexican Studies and the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS). The organizers said there are only 25 individuals coming from various countries that were selected and accepted into the program.

The program discusses and studies on various facets of American politics, government, judiciary, economic policy, foreign policy and national security, public policy, and the American way of life and culture. Another highlight for this year’s seminar is its intense coverage on the 2006 U.S. elections, political parties, organization of the elections, and electoral campaigns at the national and state levels.

Evangelista is currently working with the Ateneo De Zamboanga University as coordinator for the Corporate Resource Office. He was a former president of the Sanggunian ng mga Mag- aaral ng Ateneo de Zamboanga University-Ateneo College Student Government in 2000-2001.

He was a 2002 grantee of the world–renowned U.S. International Visitor Program (IVP). The IVP has in its present roster of participant two hundred former and current heads of states like Anthony Blair, Margaret Thatcher and Mahatir Mohammad, among others.

And Hung was formerly connected with the National Youth Commission. He previously worked as a faculty member at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University-College of Management and Accountancy.

Hung ranked 11th in the October 2002 Certified Public Accountants Licensure Examination. He was also part of the distinguished Ayala Young Leaders Congress in 2001 and an active member of the Ayala Young Leaders Alliance.

Climaco said the seminar would be a great opportunity for the two young Zamboangueños to share knowledge and insights with other exceptional leaders from the various parts of the globe. "We hope they would learn a lot and be able to help the city when they return by sharing to others the knowledge they will get from this seminar," she said.

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